Can-top-feeding device.



, n. wlLsoN a. A. n. SUMMER.

CAN T0? FEEDIHG DEVICE. APPLICTIQII flLEnvlMl. IM 1915 1,250,406. Patented 60.18, 1917,' y 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. 0. WILSON A. D. SUMNER. CAN TOP FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION man 1AN.14.\9|5.

1,250,406. Pand 900.155,1917;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNYIED STATES PATENT,

RAY o. WILSON AND ARTHUR D. siii/rimani Losiironnns.; CALLDRNIA Assim..

or FORTY NE-HUNDREDTHS TOJFRANKLIN s'ris'isoisri :or Los ANGEIi FOBNIA.

To all whom z't may concern! 'i Be it known that we, RAYOV. 'Winso'ivand Aii'ri-ioii D. SUMNnii, citizens Oiifihe'Ufiited States,' residing at Los Angeles," in the county of Los Angeles and Stati-of Cali'- fornia, have invented y y proveniente iii CaIrTop-F'eeding Devices", which the ollowingis a specification. Ou r invention relates to a meehanism'for feeding can tops,- and is particularly adapted to be used upon a can seaming machine" in' which the sans are ied in an upright position.

It is an object of ourinvention to l'provide a mechanism for automaticaliy'feeding a can top to a can as it passes heneaththe can top magazine. Y y

It is another object to provide a mechanism for the purpose described Whiohis op-V erated by the can previousvto the ,time When it passes under the top magazine and vvhich positively provides that a can .top will loe the can' When the in readiness to be fed to supply can passes thereunder, as long as a of can tops remains in the magazine.

It is a further objectto provide a meohaf nism which makes it impossible 'for a top' to be fed out of the magazine unless a can is in its course of travel thereunder thus the magazine Vwhen to be dropped from through the' maw there are no cans passing chine. y y

Anotherl lobject is. to provide a positive mechanism foiholdingv the can top si'ip ort.; in place andreturning thexn to .their "c osed that might prove-unrel: A further obyect 'is to 40 l L d 4 for vthe can tops in' thf magazine which A y y th'em'finV a horizontal sition Land v vhieh maybe quioklyrelgease nd again Iclosed ble. f

beneathithe e m witlj tops `being Wed d L; ing their binding nd feed.. L Inthe type@ y A ,cant p but new vand useful lnicarrying'itfover the can auddelivering it l plica-ted meehanismbut'by-aeivpartswhicli i are sfo* arranged asf 'to Fhax'ff Is'light" Wear Vand farenoteasly 1broken and mayf'read be "Placed-f v- ,spewwfioi .f Letters met@ i ,BateneedIiecia 151,91, Apphcesiifiiied,Iangriij19165-5semina-e2 sa.

thereto lat? theY time that the Aeanrises` to'. .receive it; the top having 'not been misn `plaoedduring transit but exactly registering' by its individual seleetoIi-Wthoiitiay com other Objectswiii appendere/ieee;

" Theiiivn-tioiiiis illustratedin thea .l

Fig." Q'is 'View levi can topeediigflin 'a-ismr i Fig, 3 is a vie/ w driifvl'nonl the samesoae'? as l showing thefean ltop-fe'eiiiiiigifl mechf anism-with all 'imi'nateriai parte omitted;- Fig. 4 'is a View Ashoy'vir'ig'lt-he manner i which the tope are held Within the in-agaz e andpassage offacan'tl'ier'eiinder. 1" Y iii. '5 s' fragmentary perspet Y g, A

. Mme specifically, i0: hoii''zoi'ltally disposed' ber off the' `type fin fcomm the inaclniriev iii an upright ipsitionY.V i 'canjreceiving member is' fdrmedlwtl' if Bil ner that its center will be directly over the peripheral edge of the member 10 and on a line at right angles to the main axis of the seami machine. This mechanism consists primarily in frame 14 approximately circular in Shape and held in a horizontal position, it being here shown as bolted to a racket 15 formed on the main portion 16 of the seaming machine. Mounted upon the frame 14 and placed equi-distant around its circumference are four brackets 17, 18, 19 and 20 adjustably secured by means of bolts 21 passing through slotsv 22. These brackets are arranged to project toward the center of Y the frame 14 and have mounted in their inner projecting ends vertical rods 23 between which the can-tops are intended to pass. An adjustable hopper or magazine for the can tops is thus provided. The l frame 14 is formed at its one side with an extension 24 so formed aS to form sliding bearings 25 for a portion of the top feeding mechanism.I

The top feeding mechanism consists of three blades 26, 27 and 28 which are adapted 25 to slip under the stack of can tops and hold them out of the path of travel of the can top engaging member 12. Blades 26 and 28 are formed upon arcuate portions 29 of levers 30, said levers being pivotally mounted 30 upon extensions 31 formed upon the projecting lower ends o f the rods 23, The levers extend rearwardly as indicated at 32 and are connectedby pins 33 tolnks 34 the opposite ends of said links being pivctally con- 35 nected by a pin 35 to an actuating lever 36, the actuating lever 36 being in the form of a bell crank having legs 37 and 38 and be ing pivotally mounted upon pin 39 secured Within the bracket 40, said bracket being 40 formed integral with the frame 14. The blade 27 is mounted upon a reciprocating bar 41 which moves through the bearings 25 by reason of its engagement with the pin 35. It Will thus be noted that the movement 45 of the bell crank 36 will tend to oscillate the bar 4l and at the same time actuate the toggle movement comprised of the links 34 and levers 32 and will in turn cause all of the blades to swing in and out from beneath the stack of can tops in the magazine.

The movement of the actuating lever 36 is positivelyaiforded by two mechanisms, one actuated by the movement of the can and-a return movement by a positive mecha- 55 nism mounted upon the body of the machine.

The first mentioned means consists of a lever arm 43 rigidly secured to the pin 39 and extending in a direction away from the feed magazine and' having its longitudinal axis substantially parallelto the tangent of the path of travel of a can. In the end of the ever 43 is adjustably mounted a .rod 44 which is secured by a set screw 45, said :rod extending at right angles to the body of the lever. Upon the end of the rod is positioned a -Wiper 46 having an arcuate face 47, said Wiper being adapted to normally esterni through the guard-rail 48 against which the can bears and into the path of travel of the can. hen the can is advanced along the guard-rail 48 it encounters the arcuate face of vthe member 46 and gently forces it out of its path of travel. In Se doing the lever 43 is moved and this in turn moves the actuating lever 36 thus forcing the bar 41 tc move away from the can magazine and theV same time causing the knives 26, 27 and 28 to Withdraw from beneath the can' tops. It will be seen that this movement allows the stack of can tops to fall and in so doing ac the lowermost can top encounters shelves 4) and 50 which lead into grooves 51 and within the can top conveying chute 53. The lowermost can top rests upon the autor shelves until the lug 12 comes into en 3- Inent therewith. They then carry it airing the chute 53 until it comes into contact with the can at 54 as described.

In our can feeding device We have shown no spring mechanism toI cause the blades to again position themselves beneath the can top hopper thus Withholding the tops but have provided a positive means for producing this result, said means con reciprocating arm 55 which travms hack and forth through a bearing 56 mounted beneath the frame 14. In onel end seid arm set screw 57 adapted to be lock i by a nut 58, 'the head cf said screw be ig the inner face of the leg 38 of the ac .if g 16u lever 36. The opposite end of the arm 55 forked as at 58 and adapted to straddle the vertical shaft 59 upon which the revel member 10 is mounted. Positioned ben the forked portion of the arm 55 is cam 55 member 60 formed with four swells 61, 62, 63 and 64 thereon. A pin 65 is mounted upon the arm 55 and proJects down into the path of travel of the cam 60 so that foin. times in each revolution the oscillating arm 55 is moved against the arm of the actuating lever and tends to force the knives beneath the stack of can tops above the lowermost top. The inner edges of the blades 26, 27 andv 28 are beveled outwardly and upwardly from their lower faces, so that when the stack of tops drops to the shelves 49 and 50 the blades 26, 27 and 28 immediately close and enter the groove above the lowermost can top and separatez and raise the stack therefrom before the lng 12 reaches the lowermost top. The wiper 46 opens the blades 26, 27 and 28 and the cam member 60 closes the blades before the can reaches the vertical plane of the can tops, so that the lowermost top is free from the stack at the time the lug 12 comes along. In this Way it will be assured that immediately after each can top has been separated from the stack and i after each can has passed under the magazinc and withdrawn its top, the magazine. wi ll be locked so that no other tops will drop until caused to do so by a lfan.

ln the operation of this device the can in delivered from any suitable can feeding mechanism here indicated by the numeral (5G and is then engaged within one of the arcua te recesses ll 'formed around the periphery of' the member 10 and is then .carried in a circular course of travel around one side of the shaft- 59, it being held in position within the 'recess by the guard-rail 4S. As the can advances it encounters the wiper plate 46 causing it to move out of its path of travel and operate through the levers 1f-B and 36 to actuate the toggle joint and oscillating bar which withdraws the three knives from beneath the stack oi' tops, this allowing one can top to fall upon the shelves 4.9 and 50. The can presently passing under the magazine is followed by the can top engaging lug 12 which encounters the waiting top and carries it around the chulc 53 where it falls 54 upon the can which has been raised for this purpose by means herein not shown or described. The cam 60 has its swells so positioned that direc .ly after ai top 'has been released by the blades the reciprocating arm operates to swing the actnat'z'ing leve-r 36 and forces the blades beneath the stack of tops in the magazine, bevfore the .lng 12- arrives, and forms a support therefor to prevent the can tops falling into empty recesses 11 and to hold the lcvvermost can top clear of the can top engaging and advancing lng.

1. In a device for delivering can to s and cans coincidently, a revoluble disk ormed with ein receiving depressions on its periphery, a pair of curved rails arranged above the disk on each side of the edge thereof, a can top rack, means controlled by a can being advanced by the disk for delivering a can to4 to the curved rails, and a finger on the risk for engaging the delivered can top and conveying it on the rails directly above the can carried by the disk.

Q. A mechanism for delivering can tops and cans coincidently, comprising'a horizontal disk formed with can receiving de pressions on its periphery, a rack adapted to receive a stack of can tops, a pivoted blade forming a support for the can tops, means operableby a can in the disk for rocking the blade to release a can top, and a finger on the disk for engaging the released can top and moving it from beneath the stack.

3. A mechanism for delivering can tops and cans coincidently, comprising a horizontal disk formed with can receiving depressions on its periphery, a rack adapted to receive a stack of can tops. a pivoted blade forming a support for the can tops, means operable b r a can in lic dish for rocking the blade to ri-hfase a can iop, a. linger on the dish for engaging the released can top and movingr .it from beneath the stach. and means for restoring the pivoted blade beneath the stack.

4. A mechanism for feeding can Tops, con'ii'irising a can rop rack adapted to rcceive a stach of can tops. a pair of pivotcd blades arranged to extend beneath the stack of c'in tops, a. reciprocal blade positioned to extend beneath the stack of can tops intermediate the pivoted blades, and means for 'coincidentally advancing and retracting the pivoted blades and the reciprocal blade'.

mechanism i'or feeding can tops, comprising a can top rack adapted to le ceivc a stach of can tops, a. pair of pivoted blades. arranged lo extend beneath the staclv of can tops, a recilzirocal blade positioned to extend beneath ihe stack of can tops intermediate the pivoted blades, and means for retracting the blades controlled. by a can for releasing a can top.

G.. A mechanism for feeding can tops, comprising i can top raclc adapted toreceive a stach of can tops, a pair of pivoted blades arranged to extend beneath the stack of can tops, a reciprocal blade positioned to extend. beneath the stack of. can tops intermediate tlie pivoted blades, means for retracting the blades controlled by a can for releasing a can top, and means for automatically advancing the blades after the release of a can top.

7. A can top feeding mechanism com rising a rack adapted to receive a stack o can tops, a pair of pivoted levers, blades on the outer ends of said levers adapted to e'x tend beneath the stack of can tops, a reciprocal bar, a blade on said bar positioned to extend beneath the stack of can tops intermediatel the other blades, toggle links con.

necting said levers :to said bar, and means for reciprocating said bar to coincidently advance and retract the blades.

8. A can top feeding mechanism, com rising a rack adapted to receive a stack o can tops, a pair of pivoted levers, blades on the outer ends of said levers adapted to extend beneath the stack of can tops, a reciprocal bar, a blade on said bar positioned to extend beneath the stack of can to s intermediate the other blades, toggle lin s connecting said levers to said bar, and means for reciprocating said bar to coincidently advance and retract the blades, comprising a bell crank lever connected to the reciprocal bar, means controlled by a can for rocking said lever in one direction, to retract the blades, and separate means for rocking the bell crank lever in the opposite direction to advance the blades.

9. A can top feeding mechanism, com rising a rack adapted to receive a stac of can tops, a pair of pivoted levers, blades on the outer ends of saidv levers adapted to extend beneath the stack of can tops, a reciprocal bar, a blade on said bar positioned to eX- tend beneath the stack of can to s intermediate the other blades, toggle lin s connect` ing said levers to said bar, and means for reciprocating said bar to coincidently advance and retract the blades, comprising a bell crank lever connected to the reciprocal bar, means controlled by a can for rocking said lever in one direction to retract the blades, a reciprocal bar engageable with said bell crank lever, a rotary shaft, and means '15 on said shaft for advancing said bar to actuate the'bell crank lever to advance the blades.

10. In a can top feeding n'ieclianism, a reciprocal blade, a pair of pivoted blades arranged on opposite sides of the irstenamed blade, said blades forming asupport for a stack of can tops, and means whereby advance or retracted movement of the reciprocal blade will operate to advance or retract the pivoted blades coincident therewith.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

RAY O. WILSON. ARTHUR D. SUMNER. 

